Blister or clam shell packages have long been used for packaging a wide variety of products and for displaying these products for sale in retail stores. The package is typically designed to conform to the configuration of the article contained therein. Such blisters/calm-shells, after filling, are bonded to supporting paper cards and can either be hung from a rack or if a stand-up type mechanism is utilized can be displayed on a shelf or table. Current stand up displays pose environmental recycling problems as typically the package is not completely separable/deconstructable. Typically, the bonding of the plastic to the card results in a plastic which is contaminated with paper/cardboard.
In recent years, the number and variety of products packaged and displayed in blister-type and clam shell type packaging has greatly increased. Part of this increase is due to the popularity of warehouse shopping centers. Such blister and clam-shell packages have found wide use in retail stores and warehouse centers as they display each item and also protect the product inside from tampering. As such, the displays should be pilfer-resistant, meaning one cannot easily shoplift, or steal, the product contained therein without first removing the item from the package or in the alternate by shoplifting the entire bulky package.
The hanging display, once predominantly used in the industry, has yielded portions of the market to alternative types of displays. The proliferation of warehouse stores/centers has required the use of a variety of standup displays. U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,268 details a standalone device which discloses a standard blister card on a shelf, eliminating the need for hanging the package. The patent discloses a stand-alone device which bonds plastic to a cardstock. The drawback to this setup is that this bonding/adhering between plastic and cardstock contaminates the plastic and thereby renders it unsuitable for a recycling process.
Co-pending U.S. Publication 2008/0217199 details a de-constructable package comprising: a front, a back, a base, and at least one insert, wherein the at least one insert has a top edge, a bottom edge, and at least one cavity, wherein the front, the back, the base and the at least one insert together form a de-constructable package, and wherein the combination of the base and the at least one insert permit the de-constructable package to stand independently. One advantage the present invention has over this prior art involves limitations in this application regarding the plastic base used. In the prior application, heavier products may cause the package to tip or may require additional plastic to stabilize. The present invention would allow the package retailer additional options in this regard, as options with the present invention's base would aid in the packaging of heavier and/or bulkier products.
In recent years, several major warehouse centers and retail outlets have undertaken environmentally friendly and/or green programs regarding recycling. These programs promote the use of environmentally friendly packaging and has necessitated the need for more environmentally friendly packaging designs. Thus, there is a need in the art for a package that not only has the ability stand independently, but also one that is more readily recycled.